The thoughts of days past circulated in Moraxia's head as she trotted further towards the mountain-like hill she might soon call home sat nestled in the center of smaller yet still intimidating hills. Her large, clumsy feet now padded cautiously through the underbrush, brown eyes scanning the horizon line for any trace of life. She had been battling emotions of fear, curiosity, and uncertainty for the days leading up to her arrival outside of the pack's territory. Still, optimism flooded her heart when she thought of Raela: the kind wolf she had met days before who had initially invited her into her pack's territory. Her friendly and trusting tone had almost convinced the wolf to come right then and there, but her cowardice proved more comforting. So there she was, wandering with a purpose towards the new territory as it's scent drifted closer to her. Excitement and fright had consumed her emotions lately- and she was enjoying every moment of it. The rush of the unknown drove her closer and closer as the scent grew stronger and stronger.

Then suddenly, she stopped, realizing how far she had come. Not too much further now, and she would be inside the supposed safe-haven of the Round Stone Crest pack; or at least on her way to becoming one of them. The wind tousled her fur around as Moraxia stood proud, confident, and ready to face what may come. Throwing her head back sharply, she allowed a bellowing howl to escape her chest and be swept away toward the pack- toward Raela. 'Certainly she will be excited to hear from me,' the howling wolf thought to herself. Once all of her breath had escaped her, the canine sighed deeply to re-expose herself to the air. It was warm and fresh and empowering, especially to the wolf who had spent the last year of her life wishing she was someone more fortunate. Rooted to the spot, she let out another howl- this one more assertive and louder than the first. Surely the pack would have heard the first noise as it ricocheted throughout the land, but Moraxia was too caught up in her wondrous mood to feel complete without one last liberating trumpet.

She would become an ally and join the wolf that had so kindly awoken the drowned spirits inside of her, that she was sure of.

Image © Ami B./Dawnthieves

Manipulation © Miss Freeman

Raela had been enjoying the exuberance of a couple members of the Crest's first litter; Minka's second round of little darlings, when the call rose up their mountain. Raela found a smile slowly forming on her face as she realized that this was likely the woman she'd found days before. The guardian. She turned back to the children as the second joy-filled howl surrounded them. They were to stay here, or at least not to follow. She needed to get to the border fast and there was no way the little ones would be able to keep up. If anything the kids would turn up later, if this meeting dragged on a bit. She had a feeling it would go rather swiftly, though. She bit the pups a quick farewell and set off down the slope. 

She almost wanted to call out herself, but there was no need or purpose to it. @Gent and @Minka would be on their way already. Instead she galloped through the trees in relative silence, until the image of the darker female came into view. A friendly, excited bark leapt into the air as she got closer, and Raela's tail wagged out straight behind her. The loner was in high spirits, and it was contagious. No doubt she was pleased to be on the doorstep of a friendly pack after however long she'd been roaming. Raela came to a stop off to her side, perpendicular to what would be the space between this wolf and her Alphas. Hopefully this would go much smoother than the one with Urien. At least Moraxia knew how to speak well, and understandably. “Hey, glad you could join us,” she offered with a grin. Her head turned back to the mountain as the sound of approaching footsteps grew slowly louder. 

Raela's sunshine eyes were still glimmering a bit with the smile she'd offered to Moraxia as Minka appeared. Her Alphess' words were met with another smile; one that also passed itself over to Gent, followed by a glance off toward the prospective recruit. The loner seemed to pick up her bait immediately; offering pleasant greetings to them both. Good, she thought, glad that this meeting was already going over more smoothly than the last. An encouraging grin pulled at the corners of her mouth as she waited for the larger woman to provide more. The leaders' stances were enough to tell anyone that they wanted to hear what the newcomer had to say. They had been summoned, after all. 

Again Moraxia delivered. At first her words were concise and spoken with some degree of confidence. It deteriorated slowly as she continued, however, and Raela's smile softened. She remembered the female's cautious demeanor from when they met, but now it was causing her a little bit of trouble delivering her piece. Raela was ready to back her up before her voice had even gone silent. She was prepared to speak on behalf of this one; seeing as she'd already conversed with the woman about her skills. Raela turned her head back to the Alphas; her comments sitting ready on her tongue. 

“Moraxia told me that she'd been trained in Guardianship by her father. She hasn't officially held the role before, but she was very eager to use her skills for our pack.” A faint smile was still visible as she spoke; as if to highlight how pleasant she was trying to be. In finding a trained guardian for the pack, she felt she had done well, but it was Minka and Gent who would be the judge of that. Still, the smaller woman felt optimistic as she looked to the leaders. “I thought her strength might be useful to us,” her eyes wandered back over the nervous woman's towering body. There was no denying the power she would have if she had the chance to build her muscles and recover. Again Raela tried easing the rogue's mind with a grin. They were together on this. 

Now assured that Moraxia was feeling a bit better, as evidenced by her slight grin, Raela turned her attention back to the jury of this little trial. Minka spoke directly to Moraxia;  her tone soft and friendly. It was a very good sign, and Rae couldn't contain the smile on her face. Her chest swelled as if she knew the answer already, but the deal wasn't sealed quite yet. Something passed between the leaders' eyes; something they both knew. Inwardly she began to wonder just when the two of them had gotten so close, so comfortable with each other. When the matriarch made her move, Raela was nearly certain. Even the woman's face spoke of acceptance. Her golden eyes trailed the Alpha's path, watching closely as she stopped before the rogue. Moraxia visibly tensed, but it was to be expected. Minka was still a stranger to her, after all. 

The words she spoke confirmed it. An infectious, elated flurry of wagging erupted from behind the validated subordinate. With glowing eyes she observed the ritual, her heart full of excitement and joy for what she'd accomplished. Moraxia was beyond pleased, as she should have been, and Raela felt her gratitude fully. She'd given the loner a home. That's exactly what her leader had said. It only served to bolster the smaller woman's respect for her superior; for the woman who'd taken her in so many months ago. They were beautiful words to extend to a vagrant of any sort, and this was a beautiful place. 

As if she needed any further reasons for happiness, Raela was a bit surprised by Minka's slight change in direction. She moved up, nudging the would-be advisor and offering a quiet word of approval. Her smile burst into a wide grin; the contact propelling her tail into even more vigorous motion. She could have yipped for joy if it had been appropriate. She wasn't able to offer her thanks though, as the Crest's Queen had already returned to her cohort's side. The brilliance of the moment dampened only when he spoke; giving out the first orders their new member would have to follow. Raela closed her mouth in an attempt to manage her beaming grin a bit better. His eyes met hers, and the King's smile was returned in full. “Yes,” she breathed, watching them turn away. 

The leaders slowly merged back into the woods from whence they came. Raela couldn't help but notice how harmonious the two's pace had become. She was glad that the leaders had found their niche beside each other in the wake of that terrible tragedy, but it seemed like something more than a good formal partnership. Her bad ear turned to catch Moraxia's nearly inaudible utterance, and the woman's head followed. She chuckled at the larger woman's words, noting now how gargantuan her feet actually were. It was as if she'd never quite grown into them. “Next, I show you the territory, and introduce you to everyone else. C'mon,” she quipped, bounding into an easy lope. She'd have to show her the den, the borders, as well as inform her of their pack mates' roles and ranks. Best of all, though, was that she simply had to introduce her to the little ones – if they could actually find them all, that is.